The Last Airbenders
by BatTitan
Summary: For as long as she could remember, her mission had always been to protect the Avatar from harm, and in the process, she lost herself. A hundred years later, it's time for her to find herself again without losing him in the process. [Future ZukoxOC. Yes, this idea's been done to death, but I'd like to take my own try at it.]
1. The Strangers in the Iceberg

**Chapter 1: The Strangers in the Iceberg**

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><p>The first thing she registered as she awoke was that it was cold, incredibly so, and her yellow and orange robes didn't do much to keep the icy chill out. She wrapped them tighter around herself as she sat up, rubbing her head.<p>

"Appa!" she heard a younger boy call. "Wake up, buddy!"

Rolling her eyes, she climbed to her feet. "That's right, Aang, check on your bison before your sister."

Aang flushed as he turned to her. "Sorry, Rin. You okay?"

Rinzen's lips curved up into a small smile and she shrugged a little. "Yeah, but it still would've been nice if you'd asked without a prompt." She rubbed his bald head affectionately as she passed him, her eyes roaming over the remains of the large iceberg they were standing in. She heard Appa groan as he stirred, licking Aang as the boy laughed in relief, and her eyes landed on the two Water Tribe siblings - for how could they be anything but siblings, with how similar they looked? - standing in disbelief at the edge of the iceberg. "And you are?" she asked wryly.

"I'm Katara," the girl introduced herself promptly. She was maybe two years younger than Rinzen, with wide pretty blue eyes and wavy brown hair braided back with two loops of hair pinned to her fringe.

"Why would you say that?! They might be Fire Nation spies!" the boy argued immediately, glowering at his sister, who rolled her eyes and tugged at the tiny wolf-tail he sported. His head on either side of the wolf-tail was shaved and he held a spear tightly.

"Uh, no, not Fire Nation," Rinzen pointed out, gesturing vaguely to her clothes. "Air Nomad. Same as my brother. I'm Rinzen, but everyone just calls me Rin."

"And I'm-" Aang was cut off from his own introduction by his own loud sneeze. He jolted into the air, sliding back down the side of the iceberg and stumbling to a halt. "I'm Aang," he finished cheerfully, sniffling.

"How many times have I told you to cover your mouth?" Rinzen sighed and Aang grinned sheepishly at ler.

"You're an airbender!" Katara gasped.

"Sure am!" Aang beamed back at her.

"Okay, back up. Where are we?" Rinzen turned to Aang. "Did you get us lost?"

Aang blinked at her innocently. "Lost? Us? No way! We're near the Southern Water Tribe like I said we were before that storm hit."

"What storm?" Katara interrupted. "The sky's perfectly clear."

"So it is." Rinzen eyed the pale sky in disbelief. "It was storming heavily when we crash-landed. And why were we in an iceberg when we woke up?"

"Exactly! See? This girl's asking the real questions!" the Water Tribe boy snapped at Katara.

Aang gulped. "Uh, funny story about that." He was saved from explaining when Appa sneezed and green phlegm landed all over the Water Tribe boy. As he yelped in disgust and collapsed to the ground in an attempt to get it off, Rinzen snorted as Aang said hurriedly, "Don't worry, it'll wash out." The other boy's nose wrinkled as he examined the state of his blue parka.

Rinzen rolled her eyes as she rubbed Appa's nose gently. "So what now? You two need a lift home? I'm sure Aang and I can give you a ride before we head back home." She gave Aang a pointed look and he nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah. Okay."

"Sure, we'd love a ride, thanks!" Katara was already climbing onto Appa's back as Aang hopped easily onto Appa's head.

"No way, I'm not getting on that fuzzy snot-monster," Katara's brother grumbled.

"You hoping some other monster will give you a ride home before you freeze to death, Sokka?" Katara bit back and Sokka scowled before grudgingly climbing on as well. Rinzen rolled her eyes as she settled in beside Aang, taking the reins.

"Appa, yip-yip!" She snapped the reins lightly and Appa took off - and then promptly crash-landed back into the water.

"Wow, that was truly amazing," Sokka deadpanned.

"Come on, Appa, yip-yip!" Aang tried again and Appa groaned in response.

"He's probably exhausted," Rinzen reassured Aang, rubbing Appa's head. "Give him a day to rest up and he'll be soaring again, don't worry." She caught him glancing back over his shoulder at Katara, who blinked at him.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Oh, I was smiling?"

Rinzen snorted as she turned back to steering Appa through the icy waters, her smile fading as she watched Katara and Sokka settle down to rest and Aang recline against Appa's saddle to start snoozing. The Southern Water Tribe knew exactly what Air Nomads looked like. So why had Sokka assumed she and Aang were from the Fire Nation? And spies, at that? Something was off about this whole situation and she intended to find out what.

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><p>Appa ground to a halt when they reached the icy shores of the Southern Water Tribe village. Katara and Sokka had awoken by then and they climbed off Appa's saddle, sliding to the ground and heading straight into the village.<p>

Rinzen scooped Aang up before sliding off the bison's head, glad that he was incredibly light. "I'll be back in a little while, buddy." Appa grumbled in response as Rinzen settled Aang closer so that his head rested against her shoulder before carrying her sleeping brother into the village. He was a light sleeper and she was surprised he hadn't awoken yet.

Katara came out of a small tent, smiling. "You can put him down here and get some sleep yourself, if you want."

Rinzen shook her head as she went inside, resting Aang on a fur pelt and covering him up with a blanket once she'd removed his shoes for him. "I'm okay. I've gone longer without sleep." She got to her feet and came back outside, smiling back at Katara tiredly. "You have a lovely village."

"It used to be bigger," Katara admitted with an equally tired smile, closing the tent flap to let Aang sleep in peace. "But a lot of things have changed since the war."

"War?" Rinzen echoed, taken aback.

Katara's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't know about the war?"

"That's ridiculous, how does she not know about the war?" Sokka demanded as he approached, food in hand. He passed a steaming bowl to Katara and then one to Rinzen.

Grimacing inwardly at the sight of stewed sea prunes, Rinzen took a bite. She bit back a shudder, figuring she wasn't going to get much better food and she ought to be grateful for getting food at all from strangers. "Well, clearly I don't, so there has to be a reason for it. What war and against whom?"

"The Fire Nation. They started a war against the rest of the world a hundred years ago." Sokka frowned at her now. "You have to know about that."

"A hundred years ago?" Rinzen repeated, bewildered. "Last I heard, the world was at peace. Aang's got friends all over the world, including the Fire Nation."

"How long were you in that iceberg?" Rinzen couldn't respond, stunned speechless at the possibility of being in an iceberg for a hundred years, and Sokka shook his head before walking away. "I'm gonna go tell Gran-Gran about our guests. We can introduce them to the village after the kid wakes up."

Katara watched him go before turning back to Rinzen. "You really didn't know?"

Numbly, Rinzen shook her head as she took a seat in the snow outside the tent. "Not a clue. You said it's been going on a hundred years?" Katara nodded and Rinzen stared at the bowl in her hands, taking another bite absently just to distract herself. "I didn't even know we were in an iceberg until I woke up in the remnants of one," she added wryly.

"How'd that happen, anyway?" Katara prompted and Rinzen had to banish away the memory of Aang's eyes glowing eerily underwater, the vision shimmering as she'd lost consciousness.

"I can't remember," she lied. If there really was a war going on, the last thing she needed was someone going after Aang for who he was.

An awkward silence fell between the two girls, and Katara hesitated before saying brightly, "So, um, airbenders. Wow. We haven't ever seen those around here before."

"What are you talking about? The Southern Air Temple's right nearby. Aang and I travel around these parts all the time. I'm sure the other monks do, too." Katara's expression crumpled a little and Rinzen frowned. "Right? They do, don't they?"

"We've never seen any Air Nomads around here before," Katara repeated quietly, as if hesitant to say something. A chill that didn't have to do with the cold settled deep in Rinzen's stomach and she didn't dare push Katara further, afraid of what she might learn.

"Right." Doing her best to not think about the horrible taste, Rinzen drained the last of her sea prunes and put the bowl down beside Katara. "Thank you for the food, but I'd better go check on Aang." She pushed herself up with a burst of air from her hands against the snow beneath her and, ignoring Katara's gasp of awe, disappeared into the tent. She dropped down beside the pelt Aang lay on, stroking his head absently. "What've we gotten into?" she murmured worriedly. She lay down beside him, soon drifting into an uneasy sleep.

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><p><em>"I told you flying in a storm was a bad idea! Give me the reins!" Aang tossed the reins to her and she yanked on them hard, steering Appa towards the large glacier. "We've got to find shelter!" she shouted over the crashing thunder.<em>

_Aang pointed. "Up there!" Rinzen found the niche in the large glacier he was aiming at and guided Appa up towards it. If they could reach it before the large wave crashed into them, they could wait out the storm there. Just as she thought they'd cleared the wave, a large force crashed into Appa, yanking him down below the surface of the ocean._

_Lightning flashed somewhere above her and two glowing eyes appeared right in front of her in the pitch black water. She screamed, but only a bubble left her lips. Freezing water filled her lungs and she squirmed, struggling to reach the ocean surface and find air._

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><p>Rinzen jolted awake and saw that Aang was gone, the blanket tossed haphazardly over her. With a faint smile at her brother's attempt at thoughtfulness, she climbed to her feet and left the tent.<p>

Aang was waiting right outside, giving her a bright smile. "Hey. Sleep well?"

"In a manner of speaking."

He didn't seem perturbed by her dull tone as he grabbed her hand. "Come on, Katara wants to introduce us to the village!" He dragged her over to where Katara was standing in front of a small group of older women and young children.

"Aang, Rinzen, this is the entire village. Entire village, Aang and Rinzen." There was silence as the group stared at the two airbenders and they stared back.

"Why're they staring?" Aang asked, bewildered. "Did Appa sneeze on us or something?"

"Well, nobody's seen an airbender in the last hundred years," a wizened old woman said. "We all thought they were extinct."

Rinzen's stomach dropped even as Aang repeated, "Extinct?"

"Aang, this is my grandmother," Katara said, trying to ease the tension.

"Call me Gran-Gran," the old woman said with a tiny smile and Rinzen felt marginally better as she touched Aang's shoulder to get his attention.

"We appreciate your hospitality, but we really should get going," she told Gran-Gran even as Aang glanced at her tentatively.

"Should we?"

"Yes, we should." Rinzen's tone became slightly more stern, but Aang frowned stubbornly.

"But Katara said we can go penguin-sledding."

Rinzen raised an eyebrow at Katara, who flushed a little. "It's kind of the first question he asked me when he woke up from the ice."

The older girl sighed. "I guess one penguin ride can't hurt." Before she knew it, Aang was opening his glider and taking off. The children in the small group gasped and giggled as they watched Aang soar away, clearly in search of penguins to sled on. Rinzen shook her head wryly before picking up her own staff where she'd abandoned it outside the tent.

"What is that, a weapon? You can't stab anybody with that." Sokka snatched the staff away and Rinzen summoned it back with a swift air current, her lips pursing at his rudeness.

"It's not a weapon. It's for gliding." She snapped it open to reveal the glider before snapping it shut again easily.

"Gliding? You mean you and Aang can fly?" Katara asked as she watched Aang disappear beyond the village walls.

"Sort of. We control air currents around us and let the gliders do the actual work." Rinzen nodded.

"All right, that's enough playing, Katara. You have chores," Gran-Gran scolded, ushering Katara away as the other girl shrugged a little at Rinzen. Rinzen watched her go with a small smile before turning back to watch Sokka gather the young boys in the village and sit them down near a makeshift watchtower built of snow. She followed them over, taking a seat well away from the group.

"Hey, scram, this training is for warriors only," Sokka snapped when he saw her sitting near the boys.

"I bet I could beat you with one hand behind my back, no bending required," Rinzen deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah? Let's see what you got!" Sokka yanked out his spear and Rinzen climbed to her feet lazily. As he rushed her, she side-stepped him easily, grabbing his spear and tossing it to the ground before knocking his feet out from under him.

"Your grip on your weapon was too loose and you rushed me without even assessing your opponent. So now that you've seen what I've got, can I sit in on your warrior training?" she asked as she held out her hand. The tips of Sokka's ears flushed red as he sputtered for a minute before he scrambled to his feet, ignoring her hand as he grabbed his spear again and turned to the group of boys. Smirking, Rinzen sat down again and leaned back against a small pile of snow to listen in. She was an Air Nomad, sure, but her primary objective was protecting the Avatar. She'd learned early on in her training how to use offensive fighting techniques.

She was only distracted when Sokka turned away from reprimanding the little boys for wanting a potty break, his eyes widening in the direction of the setting sun. She turned as well, only years of training keeping her from showing any shock at the sight of the large flare against the orange sky.

"Look what your brother did! He's signaled the Fire Navy!" Sokka yelled at her as she shot to her feet.

"Don't you blame him. You don't even know what happened."

"I know that you and your brother are nothing but trouble and you need to leave!"

"Gladly." Rinzen grabbed her staff, glad Appa was close by and hoping Aang would return soon. Sure enough, he soon did with Katara at his side and a sheepish expression on hs face. "Aang!" Rinzen crossed the distance between them, cuffing him gently on the head. "You had me worried, what's going on?"

"We kinda went on this big Fire Nation ship and it was booby-trapped." Rinzen glowered at him and he shrunk in on himself slightly. "Sorry. It was my fault, though," he added hurriedly as Sokka approached them, glaring. "I made Katara come with me."

"Nevertheless, Katara, you should have known better," Gran-Gran added as she stood beside Sokka, frowning. "I think it's best the young airbenders leave."

Rinzen's lips pursed before she nodded stiffly. "I think that's best as well. Let's go, Aang. Appa's waiting outside the walls."

"Well, if they're banished, then I am, too!" Katara snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Sokka demanded. "Where are you going?"

"To find a waterbending teacher. Aang's taking me to the North Pole." Rinzen raised an eyebrow at Aang, who looked nonplussed.

"I am? Great!"

"No, not great, we gotta go home," Rinzen scolded him and he looked abashed.

"Katara! Would you really choose a total stranger over your own family?!" Sokka yelled after Katara and Aang hesitated, turning back to the younger girl.

"Katara, I don't want to come between you and your family." He gave her a small smile. "Maybe we'll see each other someday."

"I hope so." Katara looked miserable as she backed away and Rinzen nodded to her politely before leading Aang to Appa. She let Aang clamber onto Appa's head as she rubbed the bison's nose before joining him.

"Yip-yip," Aang tried and Appa got to his feet before groaning and lumbering away. He was clearly still too tired to fly yet.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," Sokka snipped, still probably bitter about Rinzen beating him in training along with Aang's trouble on the Fire Nation ship. Rinzen ignored him as she guided Appa with a gentle tug of his reins away from the village even as she heard a little girl crying after them not to go. Aang's expression fell as he glanced behind him, catching Katara's teary eyes.

Rinzen touched his shoulder gently. "This is for the best. We need to go home. We can rest somewhere away from the village until Appa's strong enough to fly and then head back to the temple."

Aang nodded. "You know we were in that iceberg for a hundred years?"

"Yeah. I'm aware." Rinzen frowned, fingers tightening on Appa's reins. She wasn't looking forward to seeing what had happened to their home in their time away.

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><p><strong>I've honestly had this idea in my head for <em>years<em> now, literally since Avatar began. The main issue was that I didn't trust myself to write a semi-decent OC then - especially since this idea's been done to death - and have a decent writing style. Recently I've been rewatching all the episodes and my love for the show rekindled itself, so I thought I'd give it a try and see what people would have by way of suggestions on improvement.**

**This will follow general canon and I'll do my best to diverge so that it's not an episode recap in every chapter. Please let me know what I can do to improve in a review whenever possible. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. The Avatar Returns

**Chapter 2: The Avatar Returns**

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><p>"I'm cold."<p>

"Yeah, well, it's the South Pole. It tends to get a little nippy."

"But I'm _really_ cold."

"Fine, here." Rinzen tossed one of Appa's saddle blankets at Aang, who caught it and spread it out underneath himself. "That'll keep out the chill from the ice, hopefully. We'll warm up when we get back home." She settled back against her own blanket, but she could still feel the chill of the glacier they were both resting in. Appa lay in a large hole in the glacier below them, contentedly snoozing.

"You think we can get cups of tea when we get home?" Aang asked hopefully.

"Sure. Hot butter tea sounds really good about now, doesn't it?" Rinzen murmured in fond memory, recalling with perfect clarity the taste of the tea the Air Nomads specialized in making. It sounded odd to many other people, but with the high altitudes they lived at, it was a perfect solution for the thin cold air.

"Yeah. Monk Gyatso makes it better than you, though." Aang's tone turned teasing now, an old argument they'd had for years.

Rinzen was in no mood for a fight now, though, playful or otherwise. "I'm sure he does."

Aang's smile fell as he sensed her mood. "What's wrong?"

"It's been a hundred years, Aang. A lot changes in that time." She sat up abruptly, eyes following a billowing plume of black smoke as a Fire Navy ship trudged through the icy waters.

"What is it?" Aang sat up as well, frowning slightly as he looked in the same direction.

"Sokka was right. That's a Fire Nation ship, and it's headed straight for the village." Rinzen climbed to her feet, snapping her glider open. "Stay here and keep out of sight. If I'm not back in an hour, take Appa and go home without me. I'll catch up on my glider, the temple's not far." The lie came more easily than she wanted it to as she took off before Aang could protest.

Flying again felt incredible after what felt like forever, and the wind rushing past her soothed her as she flew at the fastest speed she could to the village. She landed just past the walls and ran the rest of the way, stopping behind a tent and peeking out to assess what had happened. A large Fire Navy ship had crashed into the snowy wall, knocking Sokka's watchtower down and cracking some of the ice. The entire village's population huddled together near the front as several soldiers, the youngest of whom went without a helmet, stormed into the village.

The youngest man must have been the leader, because he stood at the front and called out orders to his men. He was bald aside from a diamond-shaped patch of hair at the back of his skull and a long ponytail coming from the patch. He couldn't have been more than Rinzen's age, but his young face was marred by a terrible scar that surrounded his left eye, rendering it permanently smaller than the other eye, and covered the entire left side of his upper face. It even stretched across his left ear. Rinzen couldn't help but wince automatically out of sympathy for how much it must have hurt when he'd received it.

"I know you have what I want!" he yelled at the crowd and they flinched back. All sympathy vanished as abruptly as it had come and Rinzen tightened her grip on her staff. The teenager shot his hand into the crowd, yanking out Gran-Gran away from Katara even as the younger girl cried out for her. "He'd be about this age? Master of all four elements? I know you're hiding him!"

Rinzen snorted quietly even as her heart hammered in panic. These men were after Aang, which was enough cause for worry, but did they really think he'd aged in the iceberg? Then again, who was to say the world even knew what exactly had happened to Aang? Taking a deep breath, she sent a blast of air between the teenager's hand and Gran-Gran's parka, causing him to yelp in surprise and let go of her. Katara caught Gran-Gran and pulled her back to safety even as Rinzen stepped out, staff extended in warning.

"Looking for me?" she demanded and the soldiers stared blankly at her even as out of the corner of her eye, she saw Katara clap her hands over her mouth in shock.

"The Avatar's a man and he's over a hundred years old," the teenage boy pointed out irritably. "You're not him."

"I aged well. And second, who said the Avatar was a guy? There have been girl Avatars before." Rinzen crossed the distance between them quickly, shoving her staff at his throat. "You've got me, now leave this village alone and I'll come quietly." He pursed his lips in thought before nodding stiffly once.

"No, Rin!" Katara said hurriedly and Rinzen turned back to face her.

"If Aang comes back, make sure he's safe, okay? Don't let him come after me." Katara hesitated before nodding reluctantly, tears in her eyes. Rinzen turned back around, dropping her staff into the snow obediently. Just as soon as the staff hit the ground, it was snatched up by one of the soldiers as two others took her wrists, yanking them around and cuffing them before leading her up the gangway to the ship. Rinzen took one last look as the gangway began to close, making sure Aang was nowhere in sight before the ship was enveloped in darkness. She couldn't risk him coming after her and getting caught.

She was shoved along to the upper deck even as the teenager called for departure, watching her suspiciously. Rinzen kept looking around to make sure Aang and Appa weren't nearby until they were back in the channel leading out into the ocean, chewing her lip anxiously.

"What are you looking for?" the other boy snapped and she glared at him.

"Mind your own business." It was a feeble excuse and his good eye narrowed further.

"For two years now, the Avatar _has_ been my business." He turned away again. "Lieutenant! How are we on time?"

"We'll be out at sea before dark, Prince Zuko!" the lieutenant called back and Rinzen stiffened.

"Prince?" she echoed and Prince Zuko glanced back at her.

"Yes. There a problem with that?"

"Not at all. Just wondering why any prince would stoop to bullying an innocent village over a girl." Rinzen smirked a little as steam curled from Prince Zuko's fists.

"Everything rides on capturing you. My honor, my throne, my father's acceptance, _everything_. You wouldn't understand, would you? As the Avatar, you wouldn't have had to struggle a day in your life." He accepted Rinzen's staff from the soldier who had picked it up, tossing it between his hands. "This will make a handsome gift for my father. I guess you wouldn't know about fathers, being raised by monks."

Rinzen had always been told to keep a level head by the monks, but in that moment, she saw red as she lunged against her captors' grips, managing to get only inches away from the prince before she was held back. "You keep your mouth shut about my people. They were clearly more of a family to me than your father ever was to you."

Prince Zuko scowled. "Take her to the interrogation room," he snapped at her captors, who hesitated.

"Uh, Prince Zuko, we don't have an interrogation room." Rinzen couldn't help but snort with amusement.

"Well, what about that room with the table that you can cuff people down to?" Prince Zuko demanded wearily.

"Oh, _that_ interrogation room. Yes, sir!" Rinzen watched Prince Zuko hand her staff to another soldier with an order to take it down to his room before she disappeared below deck. She was taken to a room and her hands were bolted down to the table so that she couldn't airbend easily. Even as she struggled, the door opened and Prince Zuko came in alone.

He shut the door behind himself before taking a deep breath, not turning to face her just yet. "Look, uh, Rin, I-"

"That's Rinzen to you," she snapped back at him.

The prince's fists clenched, but he took another deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Rinzen," he corrected himself calmly, "I think this would be easier if both of us cooperated with each other."

"Couldn't agree more." Rinzen forced her tone to calm down as well. There would be no use in angering a firebender with clearly no control over his temper. "So how'd you get that scar?"

All calmness went out the window as Prince Zuko slammed his hands on the table. "Why are you so infuriating?!" he yelled.

"Call it a natural talent." Rinzen rolled her eyes. "If you didn't want to answer, just say so next time instead of blowing out my eardrums."

Prince Zuko flushed a little with embarrassment before he turned away. "It's none of your business."

"Fair enough." Rinzen shrugged as much as the cuffs would allow her to.

"You said someone's name to that girl in the village. Who's Aang?"

"Nobody." Rinzen tensed automatically. "He's nobody, just a traveling companion, he's-"

"You're lying. Is he an airbender, too?" Prince Zuko turned around again, smoke curling up from his palm as he grabbed a hold of her wrist. She cried out in pain as the heat of his skin scorched hers. "Where is he?"

"He's gone! Probably far away by now!" Prince Zuko released her wrist and she hurriedly checked it, relieved to see that it was only reddened slightly and not burned. She relaxed back against the chair, watching Prince Zuko turn away again, clearly in thought.

After a moment, he groaned in frustration. "It's him, isn't it? He's the Avatar. You're just a diversion."

Rinzen finally managed a smirk of relief. "Fooled you long enough, though, didn't it?"

"He'll be back for you," Prince Zuko said firmly.

"He won't. He's not that stupid. You'll never find him."

Prince Zuko's attention diverted to the window behind her as he smirked. It looked odd when all she'd seen him do is scowl and glare. "You sure about that?" Rinzen craned her neck to look behind her and saw Appa fly past the window.

"Okay. Apparently, he _is_ that stupid." She turned back around to see the prince slamming the door shut behind him and she struggled against her metal cuffs, attempting to get free. The sooner she could get to Aang, the sooner they'd go home and get away from this insanity.

She was glad they'd left her feet free and slammed her heel into the table as hard as she could, cracking the wooden leg of it. The table crumpled and with effort, she tore the cuffs from the splintered wood, racing out the doorway and down the hall.

"Hi, Rin!" Aang rounded the corner, smile wide and innocent.

"How dumb can you be?! This guy's after you, you can't just stroll onto his ship!" Rinzen snapped back at him.

"It's okay, Katara and Sokka flew Appa up to distract them. Here, I swiped this from the guards." He yanked out a key ring and unlocked the cuffs. Rinzen rubbed her wrists as the metal cuffs clattered to the ship floor. "Come on, let's get your staff!" Aang grabbed her hand and began to run. He peeked into the first open door on their right and Rinzen peeked in on the left.

"The prince told his soldiers to put it in his room, wherever that is," she told Aang as she shut the door once she found it empty. Aang peeked into another room, wincing and whispering "sorry" as he shut the door. Rinzen caught sight of an older portly man snoozing on the bed inside.

"Well, it can't be too far from here. There's only one floor of rooms, everything else is the engine room and boiler room and stuff down below," he pointed out as they ran down the hall to check the next set of rooms. "Found it!" Rinzen shut the door behind her and followed Aang into the room he'd opened up, grabbing her staff. Abruptly, the door slammed shut behind them.

"I underestimated you two. It won't happen again," Prince Zuko said, locking the door behind himself.

Rinzen spun around, staff extended in warning as she stepped in front of Aang, but before she could attack first, a fireball came their way. She yanked her brother down, shielding him from the heat of the blast before aiming an air strike at the prince, who slammed back into the wall.

He retaliated instantly with another barrage of fire blasts and Aang parried them with his own staff, spinning it rapidly to keep the flames away from both of them as he hopped to his feet. Rinzen was on her feet in seconds as well, stepping back in front of Aang as they circled around towards the door. While Aang hurriedly unlocked the door, Rinzen sent a sharp blade of air at the mattress on the floor, slamming it into Prince Zuko and sending him careening back into the metal wall with a painful thud. For good measure, she threw the mattress - and the prince - up into the ceiling as well once Aang got the door open.

Once she made sure Prince Zuko wasn't getting up anytime soon, she grabbed Aang's hand and they began to run. "Let's go, we can catch Appa up on the deck." She led Aang up the stairs and found Katara and Sokka fending off soldiers. "Thanks for coming!" Rinzen called even as she ran up to them, blasting several soldiers off the deck and into the cold water below with a burst of wind aided by her staff.

"Yeah, well, Aang was set on coming and we couldn't exactly let him go alone," Sokka answered as he threw his boomerang to knock a soldier out before catching it again. Rinzen felt a little warmer towards him now despite his earlier rudeness. He'd only been trying to protect his sister then and if he and Katara were willing to risk their own safety to keep Aang safe, she could relate.

Just then, a blast of fire knocked her off her feet, sending her sprawling across the deck. She looked up to see Prince Zuko running out onto the deck, sending more concentrated fire up at Aang, who was climbing onto Appa. Aang was knocked down even as Rinzen scrambled to her feet. Prince Zuko dodged her air strike and hit Aang with another fire blast, sending him stumbling towards the edge of the ship. His gray eyes were wide as he wobbled precariously.

"No!" Even as the cry left Rinzen's lips, Prince Zuko sent another wave of fire, knocking Aang overboard. "No, _Aang_!" Sokka caught her around the waist as she lunged for the side of the ship, struggling to peer into the water for any sign of her brother.

Tension hung in the cold air for several moments, Rinzen's panicked breaths forming small clouds as she clutched the metal railing of the ship, her knuckles white. Then just as quickly as Aang had fallen in, he burst out again, water swirling around him to form a twister that towered over the ship. Rinzen's eyes widened when she saw his eyes and tattoos glowing pure white; it was raw power at its strongest and it was terrifying to see her normally sweet little brother with so much anger in his expression.

He descended onto the ship, water curling around his hands before he lashed out sharply, the wave pushing several of the soldiers - and Prince Zuko - off the ship and down into the water below. Slowly, the glow faded when the threat was gone and Aang slumped to the deck of the ship. Rinzen caught Aang quickly, lowering him down to the deck.

"Hey," he said weakly and impulsively, she yanked him close to press her face into his shoulder.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again." She felt Aang's arms wind around her in return loosely, clutching at the back of her robes, and she tilted her head to press a brief kiss to the side of his head. She didn't often indulge in real affection, but she figured she could spare some after that close call.

"I dropped my staff," Aang said as he pulled away and Sokka nodded.

"I'm on it." He headed to the side of the ship to pick it up, yelping in surprise when Prince Zuko latched onto the other end of the staff, using it to try and pull himself up. Recovering quickly from his shock, Sokka whacked Zuko over the head with the staff before snatching it away and carrying it back over to them.

"Okay, come on, everybody on Appa," Rinzen said, deciding to take charge as she helped Aang to his feet. Katara took over from there, taking Aang's arm and leading him to Appa and helping him climb aboard. Once Rinzen made sure Sokka was on, she cried out in surprise as hands grabbed her wrists and yanked them behind her back. Looking over her shoulder, she found a soldier holding her in place. Several others were encased in ice behind him, probably Katara's work.

"Rin!" Aang shouted, forcing himself upright and Rinzen shook her head even as she struggled.

"No, I'm okay, go!" Aang looked torn and before he could strain himself by leaping off Appa and trying to airbend her to safety, she shouted, "Appa, yip yip!" Appa's ears perked up and with a push of his tail, he was airborne. Aang's expression remained worried and miserable as they flew higher up and Rinzen kept herself as calm as she could in the face of his despair. She would find a way back to him eventually; in the meantime, she hoped Katara and Sokka could keep him safe.

"Shoot them down!" Prince Zuko shouted as he and several of the other soldiers climbed back onboard. He and the portly older man Rinzen had seen sleeping before aimed simultaneous blasts of fire at Appa.

Rinzen's eyes widened, but before she could struggle free and stop them, Aang appeared, sliding down Appa's tail just enough to swing his staff hard enough to cause an air current to derail the fire blast into the mountainside. She caught a glimpse of anger in his expression, even as far away as he was, and something in her chest twisted in guilt for letting him go without her. Still, she knew that if he'd returned to get her, he would have been captured, weakened as he'd been by the Avatar state.

A rumbling sound distracted her out of her thoughts and she shut her eyes instinctively as an avalanche crashed down into the hull of the ship. The remaining soldiers shouted in surprise as they scrambled out of the way. When the snowfall ceased, Rinzen cracked her eyes open to see Appa flying over the clouds and vanishing from sight. She let out a sigh of relief; at least they were safe.

"Good news for the Fire Lord," the portly man said after a moment of silence, "The Fire Nation's greatest threat is a kid."

"That _kid_, Uncle, just did this." Prince Zuko gestured angrily to the pile of snow burying the ship's hull. "I won't underestimate him again. Dig the ship out and follow them!" he snapped at his soldiers. When no response came, he turned to see the remaining soldiers attempting to melt the frozen ones with firebending. "After you're done with that," he amended before turning to Rinzen, eyes narrowing. "At least I still have you. Once I have your brother, too, I can return home."

"Aang's not coming back for me," she insisted, glaring back at him defiantly. "You're wasting your time holding me as bait."

"You're forgetting that I saw his face when you made him leave without you." A small smirk tugged at his lips and Rinzen's lips pursed in response, worry and guilt swirling in the pit of her stomach. "I'll capture the Avatar sooner than you think. Get me her staff," he ordered to a stationary crew member, who grabbed the staff from the deck where Rinzen had dropped it in her panic to get to Aang.

"Leave that alone, it's an antique," Rinzen snapped and Prince Zuko examined it curiously before closing both hands around it and snapping it over his knee. The crack made Rinzen flinch and she watched helplessly as her staff, severed cleanly in two, dropped in front of her. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back, careful not to let her weakness show.

"Take the girl to the prison cell," the prince ordered the soldier holding her in place. "And make sure she's chained up well. I don't want her airbending her way out again." Rinzen allowed herself to be led away below deck, all the fight drained out of her as she closed her eyes. All she could see was the pieces of her staff laying on the deck, the last remnant of her home gone.

* * *

><p><strong>First of all, I'd like to address the first review I received for this story here only because the reviewer doesn't have private messaging enabled so that we could talk this out politely and I wouldn't have to waste others' time while they read this.<strong>

**I just want to say that you insisting that I work on my old stories before I publish new ones doesn't entice me to write for my old stories. If anything, it makes me want to stop working on it altogether just to spite you. I have writer's block for my Catch Me Now sequel and I seriously can't write for it right now, especially with how busy my schedule is. I'm barely able to write for this story as it is and the only reason I'm updating this fic at all is because the words are actually flowing for it, as opposed to Before It's Too Late. I do intend to keep working on it when I have more time, but I would like you to stop being incredibly rude. I'll write what I want and take into account only USEFUL constructive criticism.**

**On a separate note, I received a message that Rinzen's name is a very common, overused name because of Aang's nickname "Rin." I actually found her name on a list of names of Tibetan origin and it means "intelligent." As Gyatso was also on the list, I thought it would be a good fit within the Air Nomad culture as well as the Avatar universe overall. At least you were polite about letting me know about this and I appreciate your note about it.**

**Now that I've sufficiently ranted like a brat, I do appreciate everyone who is interested in this story and hopefully you won't hate me for diverging slightly from canon by letting Rinzen be captured. This does mean I won't cover certain episodes - or at least the parts that won't involve Zuko - for a while and I'll do my best to fill in holes between episodes. Hope you enjoy!**


	3. The Agni Kai

**Chapter 3: The Agni Kai**

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><p>A week out at sea locked in a prison cell did nothing for Rinzen's foul mood. With her staff gone, even if she <em>could<em> escape now, there would be nowhere for her to go, especially since they were in the middle of the ocean with no land nearby as far as she could tell.

Zuko had visited her once on her first day in captivity, trying to get information on Aang out of her. Instead, she'd blown an air current at him so strong that she'd knocked his feet out from underneath him and he'd fallen flat on his face. He'd then flushed angrily when she'd laughed at him and climbed back to his feet quickly, ordering a guard not to give her food that day.

She'd been frustrated for cheating herself out of food until later that night when Prince Zuko's uncle - whose name she learned was Iroh - snuck down a tray of food for her. He had somehow known that she was a vegetarian, so she was relieved to find a bowl of vegetable stew with noodles. At least while her wrists were cuffed, her fingers were still free so she could manage the chopsticks well enough to eat. From then on, Iroh visited her once a day with a pot of tea along with a tray of food so that they could share a meal together.

For someone related to Zuko, he wasn't so bad, as far as company went. He was kind and made really good tea, particularly jasmine and ginseng, both of which were some of Rinzen's favorites. He even unlocked Rinzen's handcuffs for her each time so that she could eat more freely and drink her tea. When Zuko had found out, he'd started yelling at Iroh for letting Rinzen go until Rinzen had pointed out that she couldn't go anywhere, anyway. That had deflated him quickly enough.

Rinzen looked up as her cell door opened, managing a small smile at Iroh as he came in with a pot of tea as usual.

"Hello, Rinzen. I hope you don't mind that I've tried a recipe that I heard the Air Nomads once specialized in."

Rinzen shook her head. "No, I don't mind. It'll be nice to have a taste of home."

Iroh nodded as he poured the tea into tin cups. "I thought it might." He passed it over and Rinzen took a sip, recognizing it immediately as butter tea. The tea was salty and piping hot, contrasting against the dark gloomy cold of the prison cell, and it warmed her from the inside almost instantly.

"It's perfect," she answered when she realized Iroh was watching her somewhat anxiously to see how she would react to it. "Just like the monks used to make."

He relaxed with a smile as he poured himself a cup. "Coming from you, that is very reassuring. Prince Zuko doesn't appreciate fine tea like you and I do or I would have offered some to him."

Rinzen grinned wryly. "Oh, so he's a sourpuss to everyone, then. Good, I thought it was just me."

Iroh chuckled. "Go easy on my nephew. I know he hasn't been very kind to you, but he has had a difficult life."

"We've all got sob stories. Doesn't excuse him trying to capture my brother," Rinzen pointed out as she took another sip of her tea.

"He believes capturing the Avatar will restore his honor and his father's approval," Iroh answered, his joval expression shifting into a melancholy one.

Rinzen paused, chewing her lip as she fiddled with the cup in her hands before asking, "Is that how he got his scar?"

"Yes. There was a war meeting when he was thirteen. I let him go in against my better judgment, and he spoke out against a decision one of the generals made. He was right, of course, but speaking out so brashly was an act of disrespect, and Zuko was challenged to an Agni Kai. However, when he arrived at the duel, it was not the general, but his own father who had shown up to fight him."

Rinzen's heart lurched unexpectedly with sympathy for the banished prince and she had to stamp the feeling down. "So did Zuko fight him?"

"No. He refused to fight, begging for forgiveness, but the Fire Lord grew angry and burned his face. He then banished Zuko with orders to come home only when he had captured the Avatar. Zuko has been searching ever since."

Rinzen was quiet for a while, her finger tracing the edge of her cup as she debated how to feel towards Zuko now. "How could anyone do that to their child?" she asked at last.

"My brother is capable of many terrible things," Iroh answered just as quietly, his expression sorrowful. He added after a moment, "I don't expect your stance on Prince Zuko to change. I just thought it might help you understand his actions."

Rinzen nodded at last. "It does. Thank you for explaining, and for the tea." She drained her cup as an afterthought and Iroh took the cup back, standing.

"Tomorrow we'll be docking at an Earth Kingdom port taken over by the Fire Nation for repairs to our ship. We'd like you to keep hidden until we're back out at sea."

"Why?" Rinzen asked curiously.

Iroh smiled tiredly. "Let's just say that there are worse people than us to have you as their prisoner." He shut the cell door behind himself and for the first time, he didn't lock it.

Rinzen briefly thought about leaving and exploring the ship, but keeping in mind Iroh's warning about the next day, she stayed where she was, lying back on the cot that served as her bed and closing her eyes. She drifted into a troubled sleep, her dreams filled with searing heat, screams, and a young Zuko's face without its scar.

* * *

><p>She started awake when her cell door banged open the next morning, sitting up sleepily as Zuko stormed in.<p>

"What's going on?" she asked around a yawn and yelped as Zuko grabbed her wrists, pulling her up and then promptly shoving her unceremoniously under the cot. "Hey! What gives?!"

"Stay hidden. We've docked at the port and under no circumstances are you to be found," he ordered.

Rinzen glowered wearily back at him. "And why do you care, anyway?"

Zuko spluttered briefly before recovering quickly, "I don't!" She raised an eyebrow skeptically back up at him. "Look, I just don't want anyone else hunting the Avatar. If they find you, they'll know your brother's out there. And it's_ my_ destiny to capture him. Now be quiet and don't make a sound until I come back and give you the all-clear."

Rinzen huffed as she watched him go, curling up to the best of her ability under the cot to hide. She stayed there for what felt like hours, trying not to sneeze from the dust that had gathered under the cot, when she heard footsteps approaching the cell. Quickly, she airbended herself up until she could grab onto the underside of the cot, hovering inches off the floor as her arms trembled with the effort of holding on. When Prince Zuko's voice didn't come, she remained where she was, holding her breath.

After a moment's silence, a hand swiped suddenly under the cot. Only years of training kept her from making a sound as she bit her lip hard to keep from screaming and the hand slowly withdrew.

"No one here," a gruff voice said. "We'd better report back to Commander Zhao." Footsteps echoed away from the cell and when the door shut, she slowly released her hold of the cot, sinking back to the floor with a soft sigh of relief.

Suddenly, the cot was overturned and she screamed as a soldier grabbed the front of her robes, hoisting her up into the air. "Let me go!" She blasted him back with a burst of air before breaking into a run, vaulting over another startled soldier. She made it out onto the top deck of the ship and several soldiers jumped her. She was flattened to the floor by at least three men in heavy armor and grimaced at the stink of sweat as she wriggled out from underneath the pile of men. Just as she got free, two soldiers flanked her on either side, shoving her hands behind her back and dragging her down the gangway to the port.

She was led to a tent and shoved inside, hands tied firmly behind her back as she was pushed into a chair. Looking up, she found Zuko and Iroh also sitting in similar chairs, flanked by guards.

"Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They said Prince Zuko had the Avatar and his sister and the Avatar escaped. We found the girl down in the prison cell hiding under a cot," the soldier who had captured Rinzen informed the man standing in front of them.

"Now remind me, Prince Zuko. How _exactly_ was your ship damaged?" Commander Zhao asked with a smirk, leaning over Zuko as he glared defiantly back at the older man before turning to glower at Rinzen.

"I _told_ you to be quiet."

"I _was_! But it's not like I could just stop breathing!" Rinzen complained.

"If only," Zuko grumbled.

"Now don't be hard on the girl, I'm sure she did her best to stay out of sight." Rinzen didn't like the tone of this new guy, especially how he kept sneering at all of them. "Just like an Air Nomad, always hiding and never facing anyone head-on."

Rinzen felt her jaw clench involuntarily at the jab at her people. "Can I punch his smug face in?" she demanded and Zuko nodded immediately.

"Go for it."

"Prince Zuko," Iroh scolded and Zuko looked only somewhat abashed.

"And why haven't you delivered the girl to the Fire Lord yet?" Zhao asked, turning their attention back to him.

"I wanted to deliver her _with_ the Avatar," Zuko answered, "She's bait for him."

"The longer this girl remains alive, the greater threat she is." Zhao stepped back and Rinzen relaxed slightly, but tensed up again the moment he added, "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now. And I'll take the girl to the Fire Lord myself before I set out to find the Avatar."

With an angry wordless yell, Zuko leapt up from his chair, but was held back by two guards.

"Keep them here," Zhao ordered the guards lazily as he left the tent. Zuko exhaled sharply and kicked the table hard, breaking it into pieces and smashing the teapot on it on the ground before slumping back into his chair wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. As the guards left to stand outside, Rinzen slowly curled up in her seat, shaking a little. She was terrified of what would happen if she was taken to the Fire Nation. She would never get to Aang and he would be in danger if he even tried to come after her.

"We won't let him take you to the Fire Lord," Iroh promised her, seeing how scared she was, and turned to Zuko. "Isn't that right, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko looked up, his golden eyes meeting Rinzen's wide and skeptical gray ones, before nodding curtly once. "He won't take you," he repeated as he got to his feet, pacing around anxiously. Rinzen didn't know why that reassured her, but it did and she relaxed marginally in her chair, fidgeting against the ropes on her wrists as they waited for Zhao to return.

* * *

><p>"My search party is ready," Zhao said as he entered the tent again. Rinzen had picked the ropes free by then, glad for once that she had long nails, but Iroh had convinced her not to take out the guards so that they could get back to the ship. They didn't need to become fugitives by running, he said, and Zuko had huffed angrily at the thought. "Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you're free to go. The girl will come with me to a special holding cell until I have a ship ready to take her back to the Fire Nation."<p>

Rinzen glowered at him even as Zuko scowled and snapped, "Why? Afraid I'm going to stop you?"

"Stop me?" Zhao laughed coldly. "You? Impossible."

"Don't underestimate me, Zhao! I _will_ capture the Avatar before you!" Zuko snarled, storming closer to Zhao.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh cautioned, getting to his feet as well.

"You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of war ships under my command and you're just a banished prince," Zhao said confidently, lips curling into a sneer. "No home, no allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."

Rinzen had to wince at the low blow even as Zuko retorted furiously, "You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father he will welcome me home with honor, and restore my rightful place on the throne!"

"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation. You have the scar to prove it."

"Maybe you'd like one to match!" Zuko's fists flared with fire in his anger and Rinzen automatically flinched back from the searing heat.

"Is that a challenge?" Zhao asked mockingly.

"An Agni Kai. At sunset!" Rinzen met Iroh's eyes, seeing the worry there and she bit her lip, concern starting to sink in as well. "The winner keeps the girl," Zuko added, earning a startled and confused look from Rinzen.

Zhao cast a look at Rinzen calculatingly before nodding. "Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you, but I suppose your uncle and the girl will do."

"'The girl' has a name," Rinzen piped up and Zhao glanced back at her, clearly not caring as he turned and left the tent.

"Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?" Iroh asked cautiously and Zuko's fists clenched again.

"I will never forget," he said darkly.

"I didn't know you cared," Rinzen added a little curiously.

"I _don't_," Zuko snapped back at her.

"You do a little," she teased.

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed, "I only want to keep you around as bait for the Avatar."

"Sure. Plus I'm growing on you." Rinzen smirked, now thoroughly enjoying riling him up.

"Yeah, like a fungus," he muttered as he stormed out.

Iroh patted Rinzen's shoulder as they both followed Zuko. "Ah, he means well, my nephew. Even if he doesn't show it."

"I had a feeling," Rinzen agreed, unable to stop smiling now.

* * *

><p>Just before sunset, they were led to a large flat terrain with walls bordering it. Several Fire Nation flags hung around the arena, covering the Earth Kingdom symbols etched into the walls. Zuko immediately set to work stripping off his armor and the shirt he wore underneath before kneeling down as a ceremonial red scarf made of a sheer material was placed around his shoulders. Zhao mirrored his pose facing the other way on the other side of the stadium.<p>

"Stay to the side," Iroh cautioned Rinzen. "Things can get heated easily for those in the center of an Agni Kai."

Rinzen nodded and when Zuko looked up at her, managed a tiny smile at him. "Good luck." His good eye widened slightly in surprise before he nodded slowly, clearly taken aback. Rinzen took that opportunity to escape to the sidelines, taking a seat on the stone bench and wringing her hands together nervously as she watched Iroh coach Zuko through some final tips before Zuko stood, facing Zhao as the scarf fell from his shoulders. Zhao did the same, the scarf falling from his shoulders as well. They both took a fighting stance and a guard rang a gong from one of the upper terraces, signaling the start of the Agni Kai.

Almost immediately, Zuko aimed a fire blast at Zhao, who dodged it almost effortlessly before dodging the following blast as well. He crossed his arms to block two more fireballs, dissipating them and smirking as Zuko panted to catch his breath after expending so much energy. Furious, Zuko brought his foot down in an arc, spraying fire straight at Zhao, who blasted the fire away with stronger flames of his own. Rinzen could feel the heat even from her distant spot on the side of the arena.

She glanced at Iroh, who shouted, "Basics, Zuko! Break his root!" Glancing back at the duel, she concluded that it was not going well for Zuko and she was nearly about to be shipped off to the Fire Nation - and subsequently, the Fire Lord. Swallowing, she fiddled with the edge of her robes, praying to any spirits that were listening that Zuko would win. She never would have thought she'd actually willingly stay with Zuko and Iroh, but she figured they were the lesser of two evils now.

Just as she thought that, Zuko fell back and slid several feet away before coming to a halt, grimacing in pain. Rinzen was off the bench immediately, something in her chest twisting in panic - and not just for herself. She had to stamp down the strange feeling just as Zhao aimed a blast of fire straight at Zuko's face. She shut her eyes, unable to watch and preparing for the end of the duel, but the gong never rang

She opened her eyes to find Zuko twisting abruptly to knock Zhao back, flipping onto his feet and landing solidly on the ground with a smirk on his face. Before she knew it, she was cheering for him and forced herself to be quiet when Iroh raised an eyebrow with a smile back at her. Flushing, she shrugged back at him before watching Zuko knock Zhao onto his back, aiming a flaming fist at his face.

"Do it!" Zhao snarled at him. With an angry yell, Zuko released a fire blast and Rinzen watched it hit the ground just beside Zhao's head. "That's it? Your father raised a coward."

"Next time you get in my way, I promise I won't hold back," Zuko returned coldly as he turned away. The gong echoed in the arena, ending the Agni Kai, and Rinzen met both Zuko and Iroh in the center, relief flooding through her like the chill of a bucket of water being upended over her head. Suddenly, she felt a flaring heat just behind them and turned to hit Zhao instinctively with a powerful air current, sending him careening back against the rocky ground.

Furiously, Zuko rushed forward to retaliate, but Iroh stopped him. "No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory." The older man turned to Zhao, contempt in his expression as he watched the commander climb gingerly to his feet. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew has more honor than you." Zuko's head lifted a little in surprise as he gaped at his uncle. "Thank you again for the tea. It was delicious." He patted Rinzen gratefully on the shoulder before resting it there, leading her away from the arena with his other hand touching Zuko's arm briefly to turn him away as well.

"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" Zuko asked quietly once they had collected his undershirt and armor and begun heading back to the now repaired ship.

"Of course. I told you ginseng was my favorite," Iroh answered with a cheeky grin and Rinzen snorted with amusement.

"So is it back to the prison cell for me?" she asked wryly, shoving her hands into her pockets as she walked beside them.

Iroh glanced at Zuko pointedly and the prince fidgeted a little before admitting, "We told the crew to arrange a room for you near my quarters. You're free to wander around the ship so long as you cover up your arrows when we're in port. We don't want anyone like Zhao catching sight of you."

She nodded, unable to keep back a bright smile at the thought of not being locked up anymore. "Thanks." Clearly surprised at how genuine her gratitude seemed to be, Zuko nodded slightly in return.

When they were back on the ship, since Rinzen's new room was closest to Zuko's, she followed him down below deck.

"That's yours." He pointed out the door for her before opening the door to his own quarters. Impulsively, she caught his wrist, causing him to start in surprise as his skin reflexively heated up in preparation to attack. She released his hand quickly before she could accidentally burn herself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just, uh...I know you could've just let him take me to the Fire Nation, but you didn't, so...yeah, thanks for that," she finished lamely.

Zuko blinked at her, bewildered, before nodding. "You're welcome. And I suppose I should...thank you, too. For diverting Zhao's attack on me."

"Yeah, no problem."

The two of them awkwardly shuffled a little in their spots before Zuko said abruptly, "Well, goodnight." He entered his room and shut the door right in her face. Smiling a little despite the rude goodbye, Rinzen crossed the distance between their doors to check out her new quarters. Maybe this could be a new start for them.

* * *

><p><strong>The road ahead - or seas ahead, as the case may be - will not be as smooth for these two as this chapter ending may lead you all to believe. Just saying.<strong>

**Ironically, I have most of the second half of Book Two and all of Book Three planned out, but none of Book One and the first half of Book Two. So honestly, most of the story so far has been improvisation on the fly (yes, including Rinzen being captured by Zuko rather than escaping with the Gaang on Appa). ****Basically, I'm a wee bit concerned that the material so far isn't as solid of a story as people might like because of said improvisation. If anyone has good constructive criticism to offer, I'd gladly appreciate it :) hope you enjoy!**


	4. Attack on Kyoshi

**Chapter 4: Attack on Kyoshi**

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><p>As Iroh had promised, Rinzen was free to wander around the ship from then on. She no longer ate in the prison cell, but with Zuko and Iroh as they pored over maps trying to find Aang. Zuko had prompted her for any suggestions on where Aang might go, but Rinzen had no idea, in all honesty. Even if she had known, she'd added directly to him, it wasn't as if she would tell.<p>

It had certainly put a damper on their growing tolerance of each other.

"The Fire Lord knows the Avatar is alive," Iroh informed them one morning as they all sat down to eat breakfast.

Zuko looked up, frowning now. "How? Did Zhao say anything?"

"No. The Fire Sages did. The statues of the previous Avatars began to glow about a week ago, around the time we were in port to fix our ship," Iroh answered.

"That means Aang was in the Avatar state for some reason last week," Rinzen piped up. She didn't often get involved in discussions about her brother, trying not to give away any information, but the news that the Fire Lord now knew about her brother worried her.

"The Avatar state is triggered by intense emotion or danger to the Avatar," Iroh told her. "Do you think your brother could have been in danger?"

Rinzen frowned, thinking back before shaking her head. "No. I usually know if Aang's in trouble, it's a knack of mine. He must've been upset about something."

"The only way the statues would have glowed at the same time in various temples around the world is if the Avatar state was triggered in one of the temples themselves," Zuko said quietly at last. "And the only temple the Avatar would feel safe enough to go to is-"

"The Southern Air Temple," Rinzen blurted out before she could stop herself. "But what would upset him so much there? I mean, he would've felt right at home with the other monks around." Zuko and Iroh stared at her blankly. "What?" she asked, thrown off by the confusion aimed her way.

"She doesn't know?" Zuko glanced at Iroh, bewildered.

"I thought someone at the Water Tribe village would have told her."

"Told me _what_?" Rinzen demanded in frustration even as a chill went down her spine. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but if it had caused Aang distress enough to trigger the Avatar state, she thought it was best she had an idea.

Iroh paused for a long time before admitting quietly, "After you and your brother vanished, the Fire Lord at the time - my grandfather Sozin - wiped out all of the Air Nomads." Zuko glanced down at the table, clearly uncomfortable.

Rinzen didn't know what to feel at first; disbelief, incredible anger, and grief all swirled inside her like a massive dark cloud that weighed heavily in her chest. After a few long moments, she said quietly, forcing her tone to remain calm, "Well. That explains a lot." She wanted to rage at the two in front of them, blame them for what their ancestor had done to her entire culture and family, but she couldn't muster up the energy to. Instead, her eyes prickled with tears and she got to her feet, abandoning the table as she left the room.

Slamming her own door closed behind her was somewhat mollifying, but it didn't ease the weight in her chest any more than yelling and throwing things would have. She sank to the floor as soon as she was out of sight, burying her head in her hands as she did her best to keep her breathing steady. How could her entire culture be gone? How could she and Aang be the only remnants of the Air Nomads?

A shaky sob tore out of her throat painfully and before she knew it, she was crying quietly into her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks and onto her palms. Even if she did escape now, she would have no home left to go back to.

* * *

><p>"Has anyone seen the girl?" Zuko demanded as he entered the navigation room three days later. The crew members looked uneasily at each other before unanimously shaking their heads. "Uncle?" Zuko prompted, turning to Iroh, who was playing Pai Sho with Lieutenant Jee.<p>

"I haven't seen Rinzen since we last spoke to her," Iroh admitted. "According to the helmsman, she has only come out at night and taken some food from the kitchen before going back to her room. Doesn't go anywhere else on the ship."

"Well, what about the Avatar?" Zuko added, trying to distract himself from thoughts of going after Rinzen and talking to her. He had no time to coddle the enemy when she wouldn't even tell him where her brother was so that he could go home.

"Well, it's a funny thing, Prince Zuko. We have no idea where he is."

"_What_?! How could we lose his trail _again_?!" Steam curled from Zuko's fists in frustration as he pulled out a map, rolling it out across the table before marking a spot. "His bison was seen here yesterday. That's way off course from our last sighting of him. He's clearly a master of tactical evasion."_  
><em>

"That, or the kid has no idea where he's going," Lieutenant Jee muttered as he moved a Pai Sho tile.

Iroh moved another in response and grinned broadly. "Looks like I take the pot, my friend."

"I don't see any money," Zuko pointed out, raising an eyebrow as he looked up from the map.

"I said pot, nephew, I never said anything about money." Iroh pulled the teapot beside them over to himself to pour a cup of tea and Zuko rolled his eyes at his uncle's predictability before pushing all thoughts of Rinzen out of his mind. Finding the Avatar was his priority; the girl could wait.

This decision was why he was confused when he found himself standing in front of Rinzen's door, one hand poised to knock and a cup of steaming tea in his other hand. He couldn't stand tea himself, but he knew she liked it, especially the way his uncle made it. They wouldn't stop talking about different recipes whenever he was around, anyway. It had been easy enough to get the cook down in the kitchens to tell him which tea his uncle had made that had pleased Rinzen most and then convince him not to tell a soul that the prince had come by.

After a deep breath, Zuko knocked on the door, his knuckles making a sharp clang against the metal. "Rinzen?" he called. "Are you going to come out sometime? My uncle's worried about you."

There was only silence on the other side of the door.

"I made tea," Zuko added hurriedly before he could backtrack, "It's probably not as good as Uncle's, but I know you said you like butter tea and I tried to make it as well as I could and-" He abruptly cut himself off when the door cracked open slightly.

Rinzen looked miserable, with circles under her dull gray eyes and her short brown hair in disarray. The arrow tattoo on her forehead stood out starkly against her pale skin and her eyes were puffy and red. He felt a twinge of guilt even though he knew he himself had nothing to be guilty for. He hadn't personally wiped out her people, but it still made something in his chest twist to see her so devastated.

"You made tea?" Her skeptical, hoarse voice broke him out of his examination of her and he nodded, holding out the cup somewhat awkwardly.

"Here."

Slowly, her movements stilted, she reached out to take the cup of tea and he noticed that there were more arrows like the one on her forehead on the backs of her hands. "Thank you." Her eyes still darted between the cup and him suspiciously. "Is it poisoned?"

A surprised genuine laugh burst out of him at that and she looked even more alarmed. "Uh, no, not poisoned. Just thought, you know, you might like a taste of home. After...yeah." He gestured vaguely around them and Rinzen stared at him blankly before looking back down at the cup. "You okay?"

Rinzen shrugged one shoulder, not looking up at him. "Just...tired, I suppose." Finally, an exhausted smile tugged at her lips. "I'm fine. Thank you for the tea."

"Yeah, you're welcome." Zuko shuffled a little before blurting out, "What are those arrows for, anyway?"

Rinzen blinked, clearly not having expected the question, before answering, "They're airbending mastery tattoos. Aang has them, too. He's the youngest airbending master in history, he got them when he was ten. I only got mine when I was thirteen."

"Talented younger siblings, right?" The note of bitterness came out before Zuko could stop it and Rinzen frowned back at him a little curiously.

"You sound like you can relate."

"My sister, the firebending prodigy." Zuko rolled his eyes a little and Rinzen cracked a tiny smile before nodding towards the inside of her room.

"You want to talk about it?"

Zuko's mouth was already half-open in an affirmation before he realized what he was doing and snapped his mouth shut again. "No. I have to get back to finding your brother's trail." He turned sharply and headed down the hall. Halfway down, he turned back to see Rinzen smiling a little as she shut the door again behind herself, tea clutched in her hand. Unconsciously, his own lips curved up in a faint smile that he only just managed to wipe off his face by the time he returned to the bridge of the ship.

* * *

><p>Rinzen left her room more often after that and the first thing she confessed to Iroh was that Zuko really couldn't make tea. The older man had laughed heartily and even though she was sure she couldn't muster enough energy to laugh as well, she found herself chuckling, too. They barely managed to stop themselves by the time Zuko entered the room, demanding to know what was so funny.<p>

"Sir, the Avatar's been spotted on Kyoshi Island," a guard said as he entered the room where they were all having lunch one day, Zuko and Iroh with plates of roast duck and Rinzen with her vegetable and noodle stew.

"Tell the men to ready the rhinos, he's not getting away this time," Zuko ordered as he got to his feet and Rinzen bit her lip, glancing at the man spread out on the table between them. They were very close to Kyoshi Island as it was. If they reached there before nightfall, Aang and his friends wouldn't have a chance to get away from the island in time.

"Are you going to finish that?" Iroh asked, pointing to the steaming plate in front of Zuko, who snatched it from the table.

"I was going to save it for later!" Despite herself, Rinzen found herself cracking a smile as Zuko stormed out.

"I suggest you stay on the ship while we are at Kyoshi Island," Iroh added to her as he finished his meal and climbed to his feet as well. "Things may become dangerous if you are caught in the crossfire."

"I understand." Rinzen had no intentions of obeying, but she nodded. If she had a chance to get to Aang in time and get him out of trouble, then it was the least she could do.

She snuck down to the soldiers' quarters, finding the smallest armor they had and slipping it on. The armor was still clunky on her, but it had to do. Putting the faceplate on, she joined the ranks of soldiers at the mouth of the ship, where the gangway was being lowered so that they could disembark on Kyoshi Island. Climbing haphazardly onto a komodo rhino, she flinched as the large beast snorted a little, as if recognizing the lack of skill in its rider.

"Easy, big guy," she murmured, rubbing its leathery hide and hoping it wouldn't give her away. "I just need you for a couple minutes." With another snort, the komodo rhino subsided and began to move with the others down the gangway.

"I want the Avatar alive," she heard Zuko call from the front and ducked her head to make sure no one would notice her. She could hear the soldiers grumbling quietly to themselves and tried her best to blend in until they reached the village. "Come out, Avatar!" Zuko called, but the village remained silent and deserted. "You can't hide forever!" When no one responded, he ordered, "Find him."

The other soldiers kicked their steeds' sides to go further into the village while Rinzen veered off, sliding down from the rhino's back and patting its side gratefully before running between the wooden houses. Abruptly, she was knocked down by someone wearing a long green dress and vivid white makeup. A fan was held threateningly over her head and she peered up through the faceplate's eyeholes before recognizing the warrior on top of her.

"Sokka?"

"How do you know who I am?" Sokka demanded, his other hand pressing down on her throat, and Rinzen reached up to remove her faceplate.

"It's me, Rin. I snuck off the ship, now get off me!" Flushing, Sokka clambered off her, grabbing her hand to help her up. "Uh, why are you wearing a dress and makeup?" she asked, bewildered, as she glanced him over.

"It's a long story," Sokka confessed. "Aang's been worried sick about you, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Not hurt, anyway." Rinzen ran a hand through her hair. "You three have to get out of here, Zuko won't leave until he finds you."

"Aang and Katara went out to the beach a while ago, I don't know where they are," Sokka answered frustratedly.

"You keep Zuko from hurting anyone. I'll look for them," Rinzen promised and Sokka nodded before taking off. Not bothering with the armor anymore, Rinzen removed it and climbed on top of the nearest wooden house for a better aerial view. She ran along the tops of the houses, hopping easily across the gaps between houses with an extra burst of air to give her more distance, when she finally saw Aang and Katara hurrying back to the village from the beach. "Aang!" She landed on the ground again and Aang tackled her in a hug almost immediately.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" He buried his face into her shoulder and she clutched him tightly, just relieved to have her brother safe and sound.

"Same here." She pulled back slightly. "You both have to find Sokka and go, _now_."

"We're not leaving you," Katara protested and Rinzen frowned back at her.

"I can keep leading Zuko off your trail if I stay on his ship."

"But I just got you back," Aang argued miserably.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm gonna be fine, he won't hurt me," Rinzen reassured him. "But he _will_ hurt this village if you don't get going and lead him away." She squeezed his shoulder. "Call Appa and go. I'll distract Zuko and I'll see you before you go, promise." Nodding, Aang and Katara ran back to the village while Rinzen leapt back onto the nearest rooftop to start running again.

There were burning houses everywhere now, scared villagers hiding in some of the few intact buildings, and Rinzen did her best to put out the fire with large blasts of wind. Some fires went out immediately, but others only flared brighter when she blew on them. Giving them up for lost causes, she landed on the ground in front of Zuko, who had slid off his komodo rhino by then.

"What are you doing off the ship?" he demanded.

"Keeping you from making a mistake," she retorted, "Aang's not here and you're hurting innocent people and their homes."

"You're wrong. The Avatar's here and these girls are protecting him," he answered, gesturing to one of the nearby unconscious warriors who was dressed similarly to Sokka. "Now you're going back to the ship and you're staying there whether you like it or not." He grabbed her wrist as she yelped a little in pain at his tight grip.

"Hey! Over here!" Rinzen had to bite back a groan of frustration as Zuko turned them to find Aang standing opposite them, staff extended in warning.

"Finally," Zuko muttered before releasing Rinzen to send several fireballs directly at Aang, who dodged both before using his staff to propel himself into the air and behind Zuko. The prince spun around, kicking the staff out of Aang's hands and sending another wave of fire at him. Rinzen parried it with a blast of wind, dissipating the fire even as Aang grabbed two abandoned fans on the ground. Using his airbending, he spun the fans to slam Zuko back into the nearest wooden house. The moment Zuko was gone, Aang dropped the fans miserably as he looked around at the burning village.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Rinzen wrapped her arms around her brother tightly as he held her in return, burying his face into her shoulder.

"Yes, it is. This never would've happened if I hadn't stayed here," he answered sadly and she rubbed his back.

"Then you have to find Katara and Sokka, get Appa, and go."

"What about you?" Aang glanced up at her worriedly. "Zuko'll be mad at you now."

"I'll be fine," she promised, although she truthfully wasn't sure how Zuko would feel towards her now. "We'll find each other again, I promise, but you have to go now." Hesitating, Aang nodded, hugging her tightly one last time before grabbing his staff and flying away. Rinzen watched him go before turning as Zuko climbed out of the wreckage of the house, visibly steaming with anger.

"What are you playing at?!" he demanded.

"Excuse me?" Rinzen balked a little. "I don't know what side you think I'm playing for, but my only priority is keeping my little brother safe from crazy hotheaded princes trying to capture him."

"I'm not crazy!"

She raised an eyebrow at his disheveled appearance, his ponytail askew and his armor dented in several spots. "Could've fooled me. I'm going back to the ship." She turned to find the komodo rhino she'd left earlier.

"Wait." She turned back, ready to snap at him, and relaxed marginally when she saw the genuine confusion in his face. "You could've left with him."

"I guess I could've." Honestly, despite what she'd told Aang, she wasn't sure why she hadn't just escaped while she could. It wasn't as if she owed Zuko anything. Without adding any further explanation, she turned and began walking again. "He's leaving, by the way. You'll want to leave the village and follow him," she added over her shoulder.

Zuko stared after her for a few long moments before coming back to himself and ordering the men, "Back to the ship!" With a small sigh of relief, Rinzen kept walking, finding the komodo rhino she'd left alone and climbing onto its back easily. The rhino snuffled a little curiously before starting to walk when she nudged its sides, its curiosity with its new rider satisfied.

Once they were on the ship, Rinzen led the rhino to the stable and rubbed its snout gently. "Good boy," she murmured.

"Abia is a girl," one of the soldiers corrected as he led his own rhino to the stable beside her.

"Oh." Rinzen scratched under the komodo rhino's chin gently. "Sorry, Abia, you're a very lovely girl." Abia snorted before nuzzling her affectionately. Zuko ignored them as he ran up to the deck, clearly intent on capturing Aang before he got away. Rinzen patted Abia's nose one more time, promising, "Be back soon." She ran after Zuko, watching Appa fly over the ship.

"Don't let them get away!" Zuko shouted to the helmsman. All of a sudden, Rinzen saw an orange and yellow speck throw himself off Appa down towards the bay.

"What's he doing?!" she shrieked even as Aang landed in the water, disappearing below the surface. Suddenly, a large jet-black eel burst from the water, Aang swinging from his whiskers. The younger airbender landed on the eel's head and tugged the whiskers hard, causing the eel to spray the burning village of Kyoshi with water and put out the fire.

"Your brother's an idiot," Zuko told her, gaping at the spectacle.

"There are only so many heart attacks I can take in one day," Rinzen sighed in relief as she watched the eel throw Aang up into the air and Appa catch the boy in his paws before letting Aang clamber back up into his saddle. "I'm going back to the rhinos, they're more sane than all of you."

* * *

><p><strong>I blame writer's block and approaching finals for not getting this up sooner. My next update probably won't be until closer to Christmas because I have final exams all the way until the 22nd, so if I don't update before Christmas, happy holidays and good luck to those also taking final exams for the semester! Enjoy! :)<strong>


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